An open site, adjacent to the original building on
Lincoln Boulevard, was selected by the College to accommodate the
new 40,000-square-feet studio/gallery building.

Otis College of Art & Design, founded in 1918 near downtown
Los Angeles, moved to its current West Los Angeles location in
1997. The existing seven story office building, designed by Elliot
Noyes in 1965, served many of the school's functions well, but its
low ceilings and lack of adequate daylight made it inadequate for a
number of important functions.

The new studio building now houses large-scale sculpture,
painting, drawing, ceramic and video studios, critique rooms and
offices. It also houses the Ben Maltz Gallery for traveling
professional shows as well as the Bolsky Gallery for student
exhibitions.

Photo: arcspace

We conceived the Otis studio building as an art
factory based on the ethos of art making. The structure is
simple, tough, flexible, open and practical with an emphasis on
daylight./ Fred Fisher

Photo: arcspace

Photo: arcspace

The building is sheathed in silver-painted corrugated aluminium.
This visually active material, which reflects the sky and
landscape, was selected for its reference to industrial
structures. The ground-level studios feature floor-to-ceiling
glazing, which affords students views of outside activities, and
those outdoors a glimpse of activity inside.

Photo: arcspace

Image courtesy Frederick Fisher and
Partners

Each of the building's four elevations has its own distinct,
graphic composition, reflecting the variety of activities occurring
on the inside of the building.

Large expanses of glass open up the metal cube to daylight and
views, creating abstract patterns of solid and void on the
building's surface. External staircases and a
glass-enclosed elevator tower provide a dynamic counterpoint to
these flattened, collage-like elevations.

Photo: arcspace

Photo: arcspace

Photo: arcspace

The building's orientation on the site, angled with respect to
the existing building and Lincoln Boulevard, establishes three main
triangular outdoor areas which extend the functions of the building
into the landscape, creating an entry plaza, outdoor work area, and
an outdoor exhibition space.

Photo: arcspace

Square in plan, the building is designed to achieve maximum
economy and flexibility. The structural frame has only four
interior columns per 20,000-square-feet floor, allowing for
modifications to interior wall to accommodate varied modes of art
making. Daylight functions as a predominant material in all areas
of the building.